UWWH Partners with Wooster Community Hospital

One Flat Tire Away: The Reality for Working Families in Our Community By: Ashley Hershberger Around Holmes and Wayne Counties, people are doing what they’re supposed to do. They’re working. They’re showing up. They’re trying to get ahead. And still, far too many of our friends and neighbors are one flat tire, one home repair, or one unexpected bill away from falling behind . At United Way Wayne and Holmes Counties, we hear this story all the time… from families, employers, school staff, churches, and local businesses. The problem isn’t effort. It’s that when something goes wrong, there’s just not much wiggle room. Who Is ALICE? You might hear our team talk about ALICE . It sounds like data, but it’s really the people we know: coworkers, parents from ball practice, folks sitting next to us at church and our own family members. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed . In plain terms: people who are working, but still can’t quite afford the basics. That includes things like housing, food, transportation, childcare, and healthcare. Here’s what that looks like in our community: Holmes County 31% of households are ALICE 9% live in poverty Wayne County 26% of households are ALICE 11% live in poverty That means 40% of households in Holmes County and 37% in Wayne County are living at or below the basic cost of living . These families aren’t avoiding work. Many are working full‑time, sometimes multiple jobs, and still making tough choices: Fix the car or pay the electric bill Buy groceries or fill a prescription Pay for childcare or turn down a better job That’s not bad decision‑making. That’s a math problem. What Household Survival Budgets Tell Us United Way uses Household Survival Budgets to understand what it actually costs to live. Not get ahead, not save… just cover the basics. When you add it all up (rent/mortgage, utilities, food, childcare, gas, healthcare, and taxes) a lot of working families simply don’t earn enough to keep up. Wages haven’t kept pace with real life costs, especially in areas like ours where getting to work often means getting in a car that you yourself are responsible for. That’s why so many hardworking people fall into the ALICE category, even while doing everything “right.” (See example budgets below)

The Day Off That Opened My Eyes I took the day off to chaperone my son’s Kindergarten field trip: fun, sweet, and honestly pretty exhausting. After dropping him back at school, I ran to the grocery store. At the checkout, the cashier asked how my day was going. I laughed and told her I was a little tired from keeping up with a group of five-year-olds all day at the field trip. She smiled and said she understood. She had recently retired from a local school district, and then she shared something that made me pause. Despite having worked all those years, she couldn’t afford to stay retired. She was still too young for Medicare, and health insurance premiums were simply unaffordable without additional income. Even with Social Security survivor benefits from her late husband, she was struggling to get by. So, she returned to the workforce. And she’s not alone. Far too many older adults are finding themselves in similar positions: forced back into work not because they want to, but because our systems leave them with no choice. Rising healthcare costs, gaps before Medicare eligibility, and limited fixed incomes mean many retirees simply cannot cover their basic needs. This wasn’t just a conversation in a grocery store checkout line. It was a reminder that the people who spent decades serving our communities, teaching, caregiving, supporting essential services, often face their own unseen challenges. We can do better. We have to do better. If this story resonates with you, here are a few meaningful ways you can help create change: 1. Support organizations helping older adults access healthcare and financial stability. United Way Wayne and Holmes partners with dozens of local nonprofits to support seniors who have nowhere else to turn. 2. Advocate for policies that protect affordable healthcare, strengthen Social Security, and support aging with dignity. Your voice truly matters. 3. Check in on retirees in your life. A simple “How are you really doing?” can make all the difference. 4. Get involved. Volunteer, donate, or share this message. Every action counts! Our older adults deserve more than scraping by. They deserve dignity, stability, and the ability to enjoy the retirement they worked for. Let’s work together to make that a reality.  For information about how to donate to help our Older Adults in Wayne and Holmes, go to uwwh.org, email us at info@uwwh.org or call (330) 264-5576.